Architect Steve Tompkins named most influential person in UK theatre in The Stage 100

Architect Steve Tompkins has been named the most influential person in British theatre in the latest edition of The Stage 100, published today by the newspaper.

Tompkins, who is the director of the studio Howarth Tompkins, has been responsible for building and regenerating some of Britain’s iconic theatres, including London’s Bridge Theatre, the National Theatre and Battersea Arts Centre, which was completed last year.

Having trained at Bath University, Tompkins founded Howarth Tomkins in 1991 with Graham Howarth, and his work also includes projects at the Royal Court, Young Vic, Bush Theatre, and will begin work on the Theatre Royal Drury Lane later this year. He is also a trustee of the Young Vic.

Tompkins, who was ranked 23rd in last year’s edition of the list, comes in above theatre powerhouses such as producer Sonia Freidman (2nd), Andrew Lloyd Webber (3rd), Cameron Mackintosh (4th) and the National Theatre’s Lisa Burger and Rufus Norris (5th).

The list also includes the Bridge Theatres Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr (11th), director Marianne Elliott and producer Chris Harper (12th) and the Young Vic’s Kwame Kwei-Armah (15th), who is also the highest BAME theatremaker of the 13 on the list – one up from 2018.

In at number 9, theatre owners Leonard Blavatnik and Danny Cohen are the highest entry on the list following their purchase of the Theatre Royal Haymarket last year for approximately £45 million. Their theatre investments include Groundhog Day, Hamilton and Hello Dolly!

Ian McKellen is the second-highest new entry and highest ranked performer on the list, coming in at 24 following his performance in King Lear in the West End last summer. Arinze Kene, another new entry, comes in at 49 following his success with Misty and his role in Girl from the North Country.

Following his massive Pinter at the Pinter season, which saw him assemble a huge cast of stars to celebrate the short plays of one of Britain’s most celebrated actors, Jamie Lloyd is a new entry at 32. Other directors on the list include The Jungle and The Inheritance’s Stephen Daldry (28, new entry), the Almeida associate director Robert Icke (25), and Tina the Musical and Mamma Mia director Phyllida Lloyd (57).

The full list is available to read in this week’s edition of The Stage.